Another year brings with it another batch of circuit boards and wires all coming together to create a functional machine built by the students at MSMS. With computer teacher Josh Crowson at the head, this year is sure to have some exciting things ahead of it. “I’m just excited to get the year started and give the students an opportunity to build robots, to learn about the engineering process dealing with hardware and software,” said Crowson.

In past years, the students in the Robotics Club focused time and effort on various competitions. But this year the students are going to be focusing more on just building robots. “Robotics Club is going to be a lot different this year because we are not going to do as many competitions this year; we are going to focus more on robotics. Which, I feel, will be a lot more enjoyable and a lot more informative,” said Hakeem Mikle, club president.

The club has many things already planned with more to come. Among other projects, the students will be building their own quadcoptor from scratch. They will be designing and building it in a computer program such as Google Sketchup and then 3D printing in the on-site 3D printer. Another project the students will be doing is building a Sphero, a small ball-shaped robot that can be controlled from your smartphone. The students will follow the same procedure as when they build the quadcopter.

The students will be working with various tools that you would not see in a normal toolbox. Soldering irons, wire strippers, multimeters, breadboards and a third hand are all a part of their arsenal. But the physical tools are not the only things that they will be working with: the students will be using various programs to design their custom robots.  

While the club’s main focus may not be on competitions this year, that does not mean that they will not be participating. SeaPerch is a robotics competition in which student-built robots navigate through various obstacles and perform a variety of tasks, all underwater. The students will also have an opportunity to participate in other competitions such as BEST and FRC. The students in Robotics Club have many opportunities to work on their robot building skills, something not many students can do. “This year we hope to do more than just competitions in the robotics club to encourage more students to participate,” said Elle McKenzie, vice president.

These students will learn new skills whilst having a great time doing it. “I can’t wait to start building lots of robots,” says Jeremy McCutcheon, a junior member.